Dynamo Take Playoff Opener and What was Nowak Thinking?

The Houston Dynamo started the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 2-1 victory against the Philadelphia Union on the road. For a team that had not won on the road until until the last two games, winning the first playoff match on the road for the team’s third consecutive road victory is an impressive way to start to the playoffs.

Houston got the standard Brad Davis delivery and set piece goal from Andre Hainault. However, more impressive was how quickly Houston rebounded after yielding a quick equalizer by Sebastian Le Toux. After what could have been a disastrous equalizer, Houston settled down, continued to move the ball around at ease before netting the game’s second goal.

Peter Nowak’s player selection and tactics left myself (and Dominic Kinnear who mentioned it during his interview during the game) dumbfounded. All year, the Union played a very high pressure game with a relatively solid four-man backline. Against Houston in the first half, the Union dropped five defenders to the back line and the rest of the team dropped completely off the ball yielding Houston possession. While ferocious on its counterattacks, Philadelphia could not hold out indefinitely in its quasi-bunker.

Not to mention that Nowak also elected to start Stefani Miglioranzi instead of more attacking options like Roger Torres or Freddy Adu. It was Miglioranzi who lost Andre Hainault on the game’s opening goal. Torres and Adu also showed in the second half just how often they can create quality chances for their teammates. Had Peter Nowak opted to square up against Houston and start Torres or Adu instead of Miglioranzi, no telling how the game may have turned out.

This is not to belittle the all-around performance of the Houston Dynamo. Bobby Boswell and Corey Ashe played superb games. Calen Carr’s two Dynamo goals have been more important than any of Dominic Oduro’s goals this entire season. Tally Hall was spectacular after an early bobble or two. Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis, and Brian Ching continued to show why Dominic Kinnear has opted to build his team around them.

It was a better result than many predicted, but the second half should be a proper warning to the Houston Dynamo and their fans. Le Toux, Adu, and Torres are capable of creating quality attacking chances and Philadelphia already has a win at Robertson Stadium this year. The return leg on Thursday night is definitely not a given, but the way this Houston team has been playing of late, it would be foolish to bet against them.